For most of my time living in the United States, I’ve had trouble figuring out what seemed off about this place. No matter where I’d go, from coast to coast, there always seemed to be something lacking. An adaptive person skilled at learning new customs and languages, fitting in wherever I find himself, I learned, also, to fit into the American modus operandi, copying the acts, actions, and thinking patterns of the people living around me.

Since I frequently choose to move my body around atop a bicycle instead of inside a motorized battering-ram / cocoon of glass, plastic, and steel, this, among other actions, meant yelling or fuming at other people who were committing what I considered to be errors. These perceived errors include poor lane maintenance (i.e. straying), texting or status-updating while driving, not paying attention to the road, following other vehicles too closely, speeding, running stop signs and red lights, failing to use blinkers when turning, and not yielding to pedestrians in their crosswalks. No matter how long I’d bang my head against the wall and bemoan the recklessly aggressive state of motor-vehicle operation in many parts of America, however, I only ended up making myself more upset - without effecting positive change in the world. Then, I discovered texts talking about the ten non-virtuous actions of Buddhism. At which point everything changed.

After studying the short list of non-virtues found in the Buddhist teachings, it suddenly became clear to me why I’ve felt inherently bad during these many years of living in America, and strangely hollow, and fundamentally cut off from an eternal and powerful force with which in my younger days I once felt connected. One explanation for why I’ve felt poorly is due to bad karma and shoddy virtue brought about by my persistent and frequent violation of the aforementioned rules. After reading them, most living persons who view this post are likely to find that these rules transcend background, heritage, nationality, and religion - that they embody Truth.

As with similarly powerful teachings, these rules cannot be unlearned; the mere knowledge of their existence is transformative. For persons living today, hope is not lost: avoidance of the ten non-virtues and adoption of the ten virtues (even tentative, or sporadic) will bring about a shift in thought and act profound and wide-reaching. There’s nothing to lose, and Everything to gain. Please start today.

‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.’ Laozi, Daodejing, ch. 64

In many cases, choosing not to speak is more powerful than choosing to speak. Take for example an unexpected verbal assault launched by either a stranger or a person you know and trust. The first instinct for many Americans is to go on the defensive and respond in kind, using violent or aggressive words. Such a response, however, feeds power to the attacker; it shows him that his target will dance to his tune and respond to injury with injury.

One method for retaining personal power in such a situation is to stay silent. Even a brief pause - taken to gather the wits - is likely to throw off the offender. Nine times out of ten he will make a fool of himself should his anger sit out there in the aether, unanswered. His one-sided aggressive energy will soon sour, leading to visible changes in his physical appearance such as bulging eyes, a reddened face, and balled-up fists.

Most of the world’s major religious teachings encourage their followers to requite injury with kindness, to steer clear of wrong, to turn the other cheek. In his book Man’s Search For Meaning, Viktor Frankl reiterates this point. A victim of injustice perpetrated by the Nazis, he reminds his readers that though they may wallow under the harshest of imaginable conditions, in order to remain human they should stick to kindness, mercy, and nonviolence. Though this suggestion may fly in the face of the social standards of many Western industrial societies, I urge you, dear reader, to give it a try. Aho, mahalo, and om swastiastu!